Valve

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a valve ( 11 ), embodied as a rollover valve for arrangement in a fuel supply line of a motor vehicle, with a valve body ( 14 ) having a conical section ( 16 ) and a tubular section ( 17 ) connected thereto. The valve body ( 14 ) has a thin wall section in comparison to the diameter thereof. The valve ( 11 ) is thus particularly economical to produce.

The invention relates to a valve which is envisaged for arrangement in afuel-conducting pipe of a motor vehicle, having a valve body and havinga valve seat, in which the valve body is held at a distance from thevalve seat at least when the fuel flows through the pipe.

In motor vehicles nowadays, valves of this type are frequently referredto as “rollover valves” and are known from practice. These valves havethe task of, in the event of the motor vehicle crashing or overturning,preventing fuel from running out after the fuel-conducting pipe has beentorn off. The force which keeps the valve body at a distance from thevalve seat can thus, for example, be the force of gravity, a springforce or a rubber-elastic element. The valve body is designed, forexample, as a ball or as a duckbill valve. The disadvantage with theknown valve is that it is very complex to manufacture.

The invention is based on the problem of developing a valve of the typementioned at the beginning in such a manner that it can be manufacturedas simply as possible and reliably prevents fuel from running out if thefuel-conducting pipe has been torn off.

This problem is solved according to the invention by the valve bodyhaving a conical section opposite the valve seat and a small wallthickness in relation to its diameter.

This design enables the valve body to have a particularly low weight andenables it to be manufactured particularly cost-effectively. The valvebody is preferably manufactured from plastic by injection molding. Theconical design of the valve body enables it to be reliably picked up bya flow counter to the flow direction during normal operation and to bepressed against the valve seat, if the fuel-conducting pipe has beentorn off. Fuel is thus reliably prevented from running out. In normaloperation, the flow presses the valve body away from the valve seat. Inthis case, the flow is not constricted by the conical design of thevalve body.

The manufacturing costs of the valve according to the invention arefurther reduced if the valve seat is arranged on a flange closing aninstallation opening of the fuel tank.

A discharge of fuel through sealing points of the valve according to theinvention into the environment can be reliably avoided if a guide forthe valve body is arranged in a guide sleeve connected to the flange,and if, when the flange is fitted, the guide sleeve protrudes into thefuel tank.

The installation of the valve according to the invention turns out to beparticularly cost-effective if the guide sleeve is connected at its endprojecting away from the flange to a connecting pipe. Since theconnecting pipe is provided in any case for a pipe guided, for example,within the fuel tank, the structural outlay incurred by the arrangementby the valve according to the invention is also kept particularly low.

The reliable carrying-along of the valve body by a heavy flow in thevalve according to the invention can be achieved in a simple manner withlittle structural outlay if a tubular section adjoins the conicalsection of the valve body and if the tubular section has a smallerdiameter than the guide.

According to another advantageous development of the invention, thevalve body is guided reliably in the guide against the valve seat if aradially outwardly pointing collar adjoins the tubular section.

According to another advantageous development of the invention, theresistance offered by the valve body to the fuel flow can be broughtabout in a simple manner if recesses provided for fuel to flow throughare arranged in the tubular section and/or the collar.

A malfunction of the valve according to the invention can be avoided ina simple manner if the connecting pipe holds the valve body in itsposition spaced apart from the valve seat. The securing of the valvebody on the connecting pipe can take place in a form-fitting orfrictional manner or can be produced by means of a predeterminedbreaking point.

The manufacturing costs of the valve according to the invention arefurther reduced if the valve seat is manufactured as a single piecetogether with the flange.

The valve according to the invention turns out to be particularly simplestructurally if the guide sleeve and the connecting pipe are designed asa single-piece component which is connected to the flange.

The invention permits numerous embodiments. To further clarify its basicprinciple one of these is illustrated in the drawing and will bedescribed below. In the drawing

FIG. 1 shows a subregion of a fuel tank with a valve according to theinvention,

FIG. 2 shows a greatly enlarged illustration of a valve body of thevalve according to the invention from FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 shows a sectional illustration through a subregion of a fuel tank1 having a flange 3, which is inserted in an installation opening 2, andhaving a baffle 4 for accommodating a fuel feed pump (not illustrated).The baffle 4 is guided relative to the flange 3 by means of a guidingpipe 5 and is prestressed against the bottom of the fuel tank 1 by aspring element 6. The flange 3 has two connecting pipes 7-10 in eachcase on its end sides. The connecting pipes 7-10 are used for theconnection of a forward flow line and a return flow line. A valve 11 isarranged in one of the connecting pipes 9, which is arranged on the sidepointing toward the interior of the fuel tank 1. The valve 11 has avalve seat 12, which is manufactured as a single piece together with theflange 3, and a valve body 14, which is arranged in a guide 13. Theguide 13 is arranged in a guide sleeve 15, which is manufactured as asingle piece together with the connecting pipe 9. The valve body 14 isheld in its position spaced apart from the valve seat 12 by theconnecting pipe 9.

FIG. 2 shows the valve body 14 in a greatly enlarged sectionalillustration. The valve body 14 has a conical section 16 and a tubularsection 17 adjoining it. That end of the tubular section 17 which facesaway from the conical section 16 bears a radially projecting collar 18having recesses 19 for the fuel to flow through. The collar 18 has anoutside diameter approximately corresponding to the dimensions of theguide 13.

1. A valve which is envisaged for arrangement in a fuel-conducting pipeof a motor vehicle, having a valve body and having a valve seat, inwhich the valve body is held at a distance from the valve seat at leastwhen fuel flows through the pipe, characterized in that the valve body(14) has a conical section (16) opposite the valve seat (12) and a smallwall thickness in relation to its diameter.
 2. The valve as claimed inclaim 1, characterized in that the valve seat (12) is arranged on aflange (3) closing an installation opening (2) of the fuel tank (1). 3.The valve as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a guide (13)for the valve body (14) is arranged in a guide sleeve (15) connected tothe flange (3), and in that when the flange (3) is fitted, the guidesleeve (15) protrudes into the fuel tank (1).
 4. The valve as claimed inat least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guidesleeve (15) is connected at its end projecting away from the flange (3)to a connecting pipe (9).
 5. The valve as claimed in at least one of thepreceding claims, characterized in that a tubular section (17) adjoinsthe conical section (16) of the valve body (14), and in that the tubularsection (17) has a smaller diameter than the guide (13).
 6. The valve asclaimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that aradially outwardly pointing collar (18) adjoins the tubular section(17).
 7. The valve as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims,characterized in that recesses (19) provided for fuel to flow throughare arranged in the tubular section (17) and/or the collar (18).
 8. Thevalve as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterizedin that the connecting pipe (9) keeps the valve body (14) in itsposition spaced apart from the valve seat (12).
 9. The valve as claimedin at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valveseat (12) is manufactured as a single piece together with the flange(3).
 10. The valve as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims,characterized in that the guide sleeve (15) and the connecting pipe (9)are designed as a single-piece component which is connected to theflange (3).